A&E sets sights on scripted crime dramas

Cabler has several police procedurals in the works

The channel, touting its growth as a top five entertainment-focused basic cable network, unveiled a round of series pickups and development to advertisers Wednesday.

Given the channel’s unscripted success with crime-oriented skeins such as “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and the now-on-hiatus “Steven Seagal: Lawman” — not to mention its off-net franchises like “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: Miami” — the channel has chosen to focus on law and order in its scripted development.

Following on upcoming crime drama “The Glades,” which bows in July, A&E has several more police procedurals in the works.

Scripted development includes “Criminology,” from Ridley and Tony Scott; “Big Mike,” about a plus-sized detective, from Sony Pictures TV and Happy Madison (as well as scribes Ed Decter and John Strauss); and “American Crime,” a drama following odd-couple FBI agents, developed by ABC Studios and written by “Law and Order: CI” producer Diana Son and Tanya Wexler.

Other projects include “Hazel Rhodes,” from ABC Studios and scribe Daniel Cerone, about a sharp-tongued Southern detective.

Development slate also includes the Scott brothers’ miniseries “Coma,” based on the book by Robin Cook and the 1978 Michael Crichton-directed pic of the same name.